In our last segment, we showed you some Belize Defense Force soldiers and the Guatemalan Armed Forces fraternizing and learning each other's languages. But confidence building is not the only thing on the BDF's agenda. There's real soldiering to be done, and those on the frontline are the very same BDF soldiers, who get trained in much more than speaking the rival army's language. Today we caught up with Gulf Company which was out in the Baldy Beacon Range in the Mountain Pine Ridge area fine-tuning their battle skills.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
This is what the men and women of Gulf Company will be doing for the next two weeks. It may seem routine - but it's not, what they are firing is live ammunition.
Major Javier Castellanos, 2nd in Command 1st Infantry Battalion
"Gulf Company of the second infantry battalion is presently conducting live firing exercises and this year is an annual exercise which is conducted by each unit where they have a opportunity to conduct live firing and to some effect they achieve as much as possible, a battle simulation."
Lieutenant Justo Veliz is the range officer and is the one who put together this training session.
Lt. Justo Veliz, Range Conducting Officer
"For a live firing to come about there has to be three things: thoroughly prepared, thoroughly planned and vetted and then thoroughly rehearsed. That is what makes an LFTT successful. Firstly they have to do a try and rehearsal with no ammunition and then they proceed on to blank round ammunition and then from there their successfully proceed on to live firing, which is live rounds. Right now we are handling m-16 a1s and later on we'll be proceeding with live grenades. The aim is for the students to gain confidence with their weapon and they should be able to fire their weapon along with their own troops with injuring them. Secondly they get their weapon battle ready. So they'll have that confidence and they'll be fully aware of their weapon and the weapons system they are using."
And that is what is accomplished every single time the soldiers fire their weapons, particularly in this exercise, because shoulder to shoulder as they are these men and women have to be exceptionally confident that the soldier next to them will not make the kind of mistake that could cause injury or even death.
Major Javier Castellanos,
"This prepares them mentally and also physically to be conducting live operations out on the ground and apart from the confidence it inspires in them, it enhances their professionalism and development in their training towards being, of which they are already considered, professional soldiers."
Cpl. Apolonio Shal,
"I took this opportunity to get much better in my weapon handling and at the same time with my schools in aiming at a target. That's what I will get out of this training."
Inesa Coc,
"I'm learning lot of things like traveling on different roads and equipment and being independent and so. I'm confident in handling my weapon. I had difficulty in moving but I will try and push on."
And for Coc and the entire company out on the range this is just another task in their job as BDF soldiers who serve the country in whatever manner they are called to.
Major Javier Castellanos,
"The unit has recently completed a operational tour in the southern part of Belize and now we are moving to the northern part of Belize. Therefore they'll be deployed to Orange Walk and the Cayo District and from here, they'll be conducting patrols along the border and other operations in support of other government agencies, particularly the Belize Police Department. One unit conducts its annual training so its one per year and units rotate through this cycle of training."
At the end of the training exercise, the men and women will be rotated into operation in the jungles of Belize for border and other law enforcement patrols.
